Top 5 ways to avoid the pressures of drinking this holiday season
There sure can be a lot of pressure points around the holidays for people with bad impulse control, if you're anything like me Christmas can be a tough time, knowing everyone is being festive while you have to warm up the removal vehicle before you go on a home call can be a bit of a downer. So if you are having some trouble this holiday season here are five ways to help you stay on the straight and narrow!
Don't go to the Christmas party- Nothing good ever happens at the Christmas party. Just don't go this year. This is a good rule of thumb for any Funeral Home sponsored group event, whether that be a BBQ or a bowling league. For one, if you’re prone to self-destructive behavior through copious amounts of drinking, there is no quicker way to get yourself fired or at the very least mortified from the stories you will hear around the water cooler come Monday morning. But also, there is not a more insanity-filled group of people than that of deathcare professionals when alcohol is involved. If you have ever been to any sort of company retreat or state convention you know exactly what I'm talking about. So heed my warning, just don't go.
Take up some sort of monthly challenge- I am a big advocate for monthly challenges, the first time I ever quit drinking for any period was a few years ago Joe Rogan and his friends were doing SOBER OCTOBER, and a friend and I decided to do it as well. I was completely terrified because I had stayed consistently drunk every single day for as long as I could remember. The first week was hard, but after that, I never felt so energized in my life and breezed through the rest of October. I worked out every day, it was the first time I didn't wake up with a hangover every day. Of course, I happily picked the bottle back up come November, but that was an extremely important first step because I found out that I could go without it. After that, I did Sober October three straight years in a row until I finally felt confident enough to put the bottle down entirely.
Try to help someone where you can see the results- A lot of people say donate to a charity, give the cranky lady shaking a bell at you outside of Walmart your change, I say nay to all of that, the world is too big to take on some abstract form of donation. I say do something for the people in your immediate circle, try to help somebody you care about with a problem they have. I think AA says a lot of moronic things but one thing I picked up there was that if you lift enough people up you will get lifted up yourself, I agree, but not in a broad altruistic way. We as funeral professionals already give up so much willingly & happily to the families we help every single day, so I believe strongly that you should save your personal charity for the people closest to you, be very deliberate with whom you lift up because the lady with the charity bucket isn't going to be there for you.
Try not to be alone if that's what you need- I am a person who enjoys his solitude, I like to be alone but not everyone is like that, and even for me it is very easy to be alone too much and then you start talking to yourself like a crazy person. But the holidays can be difficult for us, especially if we have to see people losing those close to them during a festive time, or worse if you have experienced loss yourself around the holidays like I have. It can be tough, if you need to be with people, seek them out.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself - I know this might sound counterintuitive to the laser focus you will need if you are taking on some of the other points I’ve laid out here, but we are in a serious business and you know as well as I, funeral professionals can be wound up pretty tight, and our worst behavior tends to come out at inappropriate times because of that. So cut yourself some slack, a big part of this is learning to like yourself again.
In conclusion, don't take yourself too seriously this holiday season, be charitable to the people closest to you, and seek out their company if you need to be with someone. Maybe think about taking a baby step with a monthly challenge. Try to be kind to yourself and don't be so serious, and whatever you do…do not go to the Christmas party!
